Welcome to my tour stop for The Network Series by Katie Cross! The Network Series is a young adult fantasy and the tour runs July 27 – August 7 with reviews only. Check out the tour page for more information. I will be reviewing all three books in the series starting today with book 1, Miss Mabel's School for Girls. Be sure to enter the giveaway at the end of this review!
About the Book:
Rating: 4/5 StarsAuthor: Katie Cross
Available Formats: eBook & Paperback
Publisher: Antebellum Publishing
Publishing Date: 03-21-14 Pages: 316
Add ~ Goodreads
Never Underestimate the Power of a Determined Witch.
Letum Wood is a forest of fog and deadfall, home to the quietly famous Miss Mabel’s School for Girls, a place where young witches learn the art of magic.
Sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe has inherited a deadly curse. Determined to break free before it kills her, she enrolls in the respected school to confront the cunning witch who cast the curse: Miss Mabel.
Bianca finds herself faced with dark magic she didn’t expect, with lessons more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Will Bianca have the courage to save herself from the curse, or will Miss Mabel’s sinister plan be too powerful?
Miss Mabel’s School for Girls is the first novel in The Network Series, an exciting new fantasy collection. A gripping tale about the struggle to survive, it will take you to a new place and time, one you’ll never want to leave.
Letum Wood is a forest of fog and deadfall, home to the quietly famous Miss Mabel’s School for Girls, a place where young witches learn the art of magic.
Sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe has inherited a deadly curse. Determined to break free before it kills her, she enrolls in the respected school to confront the cunning witch who cast the curse: Miss Mabel.
Bianca finds herself faced with dark magic she didn’t expect, with lessons more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Will Bianca have the courage to save herself from the curse, or will Miss Mabel’s sinister plan be too powerful?
Miss Mabel’s School for Girls is the first novel in The Network Series, an exciting new fantasy collection. A gripping tale about the struggle to survive, it will take you to a new place and time, one you’ll never want to leave.
My So-Called Review:
I want to start this review by saying that I am one of those rare creatures that have never actually read the Harry Potter series. Yes I know, I know; what’s wrong with me right? At the height of HP’s popularity I was raising babies and toddlers so I didn’t have a lot of time for reading; I’ve always meant to read them but just haven’t gotten to it yet. In this instance, I’m so very glad I never read the much beloved series because as I scanned through the reviews for The Network Series I saw a ton of comparisons between the two. So when I jumped head first into this series I was leaping whole heartedly into a completely original, amazing world and I think it made my reading experience all the more enjoyable!
Bianca
Monroe's family is cursed and she is determined to reverse it at all costs. The
curse is such that when she turns seventeen, she will die. Luckily, Bianca is no lamb who’s willing to
roll over and let this happen, instead she hatches a plan. She enrolls in Miss
Mabel's School for Girls with the intention of honing in her magic skills and
convincing the Headmistress, Miss Mabel, to reverse the curse she set upon her
family. In order to get close to Miss Mabel, Bianca becomes the first;
first-year student to enroll in the “Competition”, a three part event where in
the prize is to become Miss Mabel’s Assistant.
Bianca cares deeply about her
family, is graciously humble, and shows tremendous integrity; something I wish
we’d see more of in YA novels. Based on this description you might think she
sounds frightfully dull but thanks to the brilliant characterization of author
Katie Cross, Bianca is balanced out perfectly with a spunk and cleverness that
will keep teen readers wanting more. She also isn’t perfect; she struggles just
like any other teenager with thoughts of self-doubt while second guessing her
decisions. Bianca must face some seriously
frightening challenges throughout the story and yet she never backs down. Miss Mabel’s School for Girls is a fantastic
story but its Bianca that is the icing on the cake which makes this a truly unforgettable
read!
I would absolutely, highly recommend
Miss Mabel's School for Girls and The Network Series for fans of the YA/Fantasy
genre. What’s even better is that this is a very well written, CLEAN story
which makes it wonderfully appropriate for teens of all ages! I volunteer in our
local Middle and High School Libraries and we struggle to find books for the 13-17
age range that we can actually put on the shelves and that kids will actually
want to read. The library opens back up in just over 2 weeks and I will be
making sure that The Network series is at the top of our “new” books section!
Thank you so much to author,
Katie Cross and CBB Book Promotions for inviting me to participate in The Network Series Blog Tour and to NetGalley for
providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest
review! Be on the lookout for my review of Antebellum
Awakening, book 2 in this amazing series!
About the Author:
Katie Cross grew up in the mountains of Idaho, where she still loves to play when she gets the chance.If she’s not writing, you can find her traveling, working as a pediatric nurse, trail running with her husband and two dogs, or curled up with a book and a cup of chai.
Author links:
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter @kcrosswriting
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Giveaway:
$30 Visa Gift Card (INT)
$30 Visa Gift Card (INT)
Ends Aug. 12th
Prizing provided by the author, hosts are in no way responsible
This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this one so much! I didn't read HP until a couple years ago but even though people compare the two series they are TOTALLY different.
ReplyDeleteAnd I also like that you point out that it's CLEAN. I agree that it's hard to find books that are clean for this age range.
Thanks so much for reviewing this for the blog tour!
I did enjoy this one very much, it was a perfect read while on vacation :) I'm almost done with Antebellum Awakening (love that title!) and I think I like it even more than this one, can't wait to get my review up!
DeleteThank you for making the comment about the comparison to HP. I had wondered if people were calling them similar just based on it being a school for witches. I've only seen the HP movies but based on those I thought Miss Mabel's was totally different!
This sounds fabulous!
ReplyDeleteHope you get a chance to read this series because it really is great! I'm almost done with book 2, Antebellum Awakening and I'm liking it even more than the first :)
DeleteI can't stop reading your blog because of this awesome font. SRSLY. What is this font?! *swoons*
ReplyDeleteAs if I didn't love your blog enough, I'm in love with you getting my books for your library!! I agree with you (and many others) that the second book is actually more enjoyable than the first. MMSFG is great, don't get me wrong, but I learned a lot along the way, and Bianca came a long way in book two as well. Hopefully the books continue getting better!
I have a few other books available (or almost available) in the Network Series if you're interested in reading those. Just shoot me an email and I'll send you a free copy. Thanks again! *skips off to share all over social media*
kcrosswriting@gmail.com
I really enjoyed learning about the book and reading your review. Looking forward to reading this book series!
ReplyDeleteI have added this to my TBR list. I can't wait to get my hands on it.
ReplyDelete